Random Musings

I was just revisiting this old clip of Michael Schumacher clinching his first ever world championship for Ferrari (and his third of his career) at Suzuka in 2000.

I remember watching this race back then as I clearly remember seeing his reaction after crossing the finish line.

I’d never ever seen a driver so animated after taking a win in my entire life.

And also, it was one of those singular sporting moments in my life when I really went nuts (in an ecstatic way, of course).

Yes, this win in Suzuka definitely ranks up there in my list of all-time greatest sporting moments.

Ah, those were the glory days of F1.

Just by watching the clip, you can feel a sense of history and a sense of “occasion” about the whole thing.

Winning a world championship seemed like a much bigger deal back then.

F1 nowadays seems rather bland, if you will, compared to the good ol’ days of Schumacher and Hakkinen.

It seems, I dunno…”sanitised” nowadays? “Corporate” maybe?

I dunno, that’s just what I feel.

Anyway, 2000 was an extremely tense season.

I remember rooting for Schumacher through the highs and the lows of the season.

Remember, he just came back from breaking his leg at Silverstone the season before (1999), and many people said that he would never be the same driver again.

(Little did they know that he would go on to win 5 more world titles after that.)

I remember the 2000 season was particularly tough because Schumacher had a bad stretch of 4 retirements in 5 races, including spinning out at the first corner for two races in a row.

So the win at Suzuka was just simply amazing.

Especially considering the heartbreak at Suzuka in ’98 (I clearly remember he qualified in pole but ended up starting at the back of the grid…thus effectively ruining his title hopes), and the unfortunate injury in ’99.

Ah, the glory days of F1!

F1 is just too corporate nowadays.